Do you remember being a kid?
What did you think about?
For those of us fortunate enough, our worries were which princess to pretend to be, what Hot Wheels track to build or catching grasshoppers in jars — we didn’t have to think about hunger, abuse or unstable homes.
But for many children in Alabama, these are daily realities. And in an ever-changing world, kids now face new pressures: cyberbullying, one-sided conversations with AI and social media that can shape self-esteem and emotional well-being.
The 2025 Alabama Kids Count Data Book from VOICES for Alabama’s Children highlights how mental health affects every aspect of child well-being — from academic success and family stability to community safety and long-term outcomes. This year’s theme, “Mental Health is Key to Children’s Growth and Success,” emphasizes that emotional well-being is not just the absence of illness. It shapes how children think, feel and connect with others and is influenced by housing stability, food security, access to health care and supportive communities. VOICES urges policymakers to integrate mental health supports across all systems serving children — including schools, health care and family services — to ensure that young Alabamians thrive.
Alabama’s latest child well-being data reflect a state making gains in some areas while confronting deepening challenges in others, particularly in mental health.
“For more than three decades, the Data Book has helped Alabama understand how our children are doing,” said Dr. Tracye Strichik, executive director of VOICES for Alabama’s Children. “But children’s lives — and their mental health needs — are changing quickly. A digital, year-round approach allows us to respond with data that is timely, relevant and actionable.”
The report evaluates 16 indicators across four domains: economic well-being, education, health and family and community. Alabama declined in economic well-being, education and health, remained unchanged in family and community, improved in six indicators, declined in five and saw no change in five.
“The data show why continued investment in effective mental health supports is critical,” said Apreill Hartsfield, director of policy, advocacy and research at VOICES. “As policymakers focus more on these challenges, timely data will help guide decisions that improve outcomes for children and families.”
STATEWIDE DATA HIGHLIGHTS
The Alabama Kids Count Data Book compiles information from Alabama state agencies, the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Community Survey. Because of reporting timelines, most indicators compare 2019 and 2023 data.
Rank
Alabama fell from 39th in overall child well-being in the 2024 Data Book to 43rd in 2025.
Population trends
Alabama total population growth, 2000-2024: 16%
Alabama child population growth, 2000-2024: 1.7%
Economic well-being
Children living in homes with no parent working full-time year-round, 2019: 31%
Children living in homes with no parent working full-time year-round, 2023: 29%
Increase in families spending more than 30% of income on housing since 2019: 4%
Child poverty rate, 2000 vs. 2019-2023: unchanged overall
Increase in child poverty among children under age 5 and ages 5-11
Children involved in abuse or neglect reports, FY2024: more than 38,000
Rate of children with indication of abuse or neglect, 2013: 8.1 per 1,000
Rate of children with indication of abuse or neglect, 2024: 10.1 per 1,000
Health
Infant mortality rate, 2013: 8.6 per 1,000 live births
Infant mortality rate, 2023: 7.8 per 1,000 live births
Decrease in infant mortality, 2013-2023: 10.2%
Drop in low birth weight births, 2019-2023: 1%
National rank for low birth weight: 48th
Increase in uninsured children since 2019: 33%
Education
Fourth-grade reading improvement since 2021: nearly 10 percentage points
Gains in fourth-grade math since 2021
Chronic absenteeism, 2024-2025: 12.4%
Early childhood
Increase in early intervention services since 2014: 48%
Children served through early intervention: 9,067
Mental health indicators
Increase in children with anxiety or depression nationally, 2016-2020: nearly 26%
Children with anxiety or depression, 2020: 11.8% or 7.3 million
High school students reporting at least one suicide attempt nationally: 9%
Suicide attempts reported by Black students: 12%
Suicide attempts reported by students of two or more races: 13%
Suicide attempts reported by American Indian or Alaska Native students: 26%
Suicide attempts reported by LGBTQ high school students: 23%
Suicide attempts reported by heterosexual peers: 6%
Alabama rank in mental health workforce availability: 51st
Residents per mental health provider in Alabama: 740:1
Privately insured youth without mental or emotional health coverage: 18%
BALDWIN COUNTY DATA
Baldwin County ranks seventh in the 2025 Alabama Kids Count Data Book.
Population
Total population: 261,608
Child population under age 20: 59,480
Children as share of population: 22.7%
Health
Infant mortality rate, 2023: 5.6 per 1,000 live births
Low birth weight births, 2023: 7.8%
Preterm births, 2023: 10.0%
Child death rate, 2023: 23.1 per 100,000
Preventable teen death rate, 2023: 39.6 per 100,000
Children without health insurance, 2019-2023: 4.9%
Mental health provider ratio, 2024: 828:1
Education
First-grade retention, 2024-2025: 5.7%
Graduation rate, 2024-2025: data unavailable
Dropout rate, 2024-2025: data unavailable
Child welfare
Reported abuse or neglect rate, FY2024: 6.0 per 1,000
Children in foster care, 2025: 191
Children in protective services, March 2025: 212
Adoptions finalized, April 1, 2024–March 31, 2025: 19
Economic well-being
Children in poverty, 2019-2023: 14.4%
Extreme child poverty, 2019-2023: 6.3%
Children in single-parent homes, 2019-2023: 19.6%
Children receiving SNAP benefits, 2025: 10,941
Children facing food insecurity, 2023: 14.5%
BALDWIN MSA COMPARISON
Child population share
Baldwin: 22.7%
State average: 24.8%
Jefferson: 25.5%
Mobile: 25.4%
Tuscaloosa: 27.6%
Calhoun: 25.0%
Infant mortality rate
Baldwin: 5.6
State average: 7.8
Jefferson: 10.2
Tuscaloosa: 13.2
Houston: 13.3
Calhoun: 11.9
Madison: 5.7
Limestone: 3.8
Shelby: 4.7
St. Clair: 4.8
Morgan: 4.0
Child death rate
Baldwin: 23.1
State average: 22.9
Lee: 28.7
Jefferson: 28.1
Mobile: 28.1
Tuscaloosa: 27.3
Madison: 16.5
Shelby: 9.5
Colbert: 9.8
Lauderdale: 6.6
Preventable teen death rate
Baldwin: 39.6
State average: 43.6
Jefferson: 73.2
Madison: 70.9
Mobile: 67.4
Tuscaloosa: 17.6
Etowah: 32.9
Blount: 157.6
Hale: 110.5
Children in poverty
Baldwin: 14.4%
State average: 21.5%
Jefferson: 22.8%
Mobile: 23.6%
Tuscaloosa: 20.8%
Calhoun: 22.9%
Madison: 13.1%
Shelby: 7.8%
To see the full report and explore how every county is faring, visit https://alavoices.org/.